Black Thorns:
黒いとげ

Summary: Mikan never learns the real reason why Hotaru left, and so her personality takes a drastic turn. Months later, a cold, calculating Mikan Sakura is invited to the prestigious Gakuen Alice. Armed with the power of her SEC Alice, there is not one person who doesn't wonder – which side is Mikan really on?

Pairings: None decided, but possible Natsume/Mikan (if so, it will be way, way in the future) and Ruka/Hotaru.

Time Frame: Fills in the time skips in the First Chapter, and then vaguely follows Canon from Chapter 2-3 onwards.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: This is an AU fic, in the original "Gakuen Alice"; Mikan doesn't possess the SEC (Steal; Erase; Copy) Alice, but she only has Nullification, Stealing and Insertion. In this story, "Black Thorns," Mikan will have the SEC Alice, and Nullification, but there will be drawbacks to each one. (They will be explained in every chapter, and so will each of Mikan's Alices, as they are introduced.)

Also, Mikan will be a lot different from the one in the Manga/Anime, so if you don't like my version of a semi-dark (like, bordering neutral) Mikan, then please click exit, and save us all the trouble. The first part may seem reeeeally weird, but give it a chance. It gets better when we actually enter GA! Promise! Anyway, enough babbling...here we go! [I was going to write another 2-3 chapters before I posted this, but I was horribly impatient. Don't expect regular updates, and how often I update it depends on how much of a response I get. I have a lot of other unfinished stories that need to be worked on!]

Episode 1: The Beginning
Part I: Discovering

"Hotaru Imai had only one close friend, herself, because from that day forth, she didn't want anything to do with her. "

Clouds gathered in the sky, looming over the balcony of her room. She clenched the metal railings, feeling it dig into her palm. Lying on the floor in a crunched-up ball was the remnants of a letter. Her letter – the same piece of paper she had posted to her best friend (whom attending the infamous Gakuen Alice) that had been sent, straight back, the envelope not even open.

She'd wanted to believe that it was a fluke...that the postman got something wrong and mixed up the deliveries. But even she wasn't so dense, that she thought it was a coincidence that whoever was in charge of the mail sent her back almost every single one of her seventy two notes. She had resigned herself to the simple fact, that Hotaru – the acclaimed companion she was – had simply forgotten about her.

Though, she wouldn't be all too surprised if Hotaru was just ignoring every one of them, making a cold, heartless excuse to all that showed any concern. It wasn't as if the institution was blocking her correspondence or anything – and if they were, which was highly doubtful, as it was a government-run schooling program – besides, if Hotaru was a true friend, she would've found a way around it.

She'd said she would write, in fact, she had promised it. Liar... She hadn't told her that she was leaving, even though she'd sworn there to be no secrets between them. Cheat! She'd hit her in the face, as a goodbye present, though she'd proclaimed (albeit quietly, and after a particularly nasty bullying session) that they would always care for each other. Hypocrite! She'd said they'd always stick together, but she'd left, to go to some rich school. Traitor! She'd always made it clear, from day one, that she was her own best friend.

I hate you!

Standing, on her balcony, brown locks framing her face, Mikan Sakura couldn't help but agree with her. Hotaru Imai had only one close friend, herself, because from that day forth, she didn't want anything to do with her.

Shopping wasn't the ideal thing to do on a Saturday Morning. Whilst Mikan did like buying new things – and she enjoyed it more than your clichéd tomboy, mind you – she just didn't like clothes. Of course, she had drawn the conclusion (after quietly observing some random group of friends weaving through various stores, looking bubbly and energetic) that perhaps it was just the style of clothes that perturbed her.

This was, after all, to be expected, if the only shopping partners you had were your Grandfather and the cold, indifferent Imai, who would rather wear a metal suit than a dress.

So, whenever she went shopping with either of them, she was expected to choose quickly, so she had just bought near-identical replicas of the floral pink dresses she wore when she was younger. Now that she didn't have someone constantly grumbling over her shoulder, Mikan had established that, that was the root of the problem.

She probably wouldn't have done this before, and as she stepped out of the small cafe, a fully-loaded wallet in the pocket of her jeans (which were, currently, the only pair she had) she couldn't help but thank God that she had matured a bit. A couple of months ago, she wouldn't have even bothered with even thinking, because Hotaru had had enough intelligence and maturity to cover both of them, leaving Mikan horribly clingy, and still stuck with her 8 year old mentality.

Now that, with the absence of the dark-haired girl, she was forced to rely on herself (though she could easily hang off another classmate, Mikan had cut herself off from the rest of society – preferring to exist only with Hotaru's companionship – so much, that everyone was now awfully edgy around her.)

But, even if it meant spending all her free time (which was a lot) trying to wrap her mind around theories and catch up on all those lost years of education, the caramel-eyed girl couldn't help but relish in the proud feel of being assertive enough to take care of herself.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Mikan paused (it was pure irony, though, that it happened to be just outside one of her once-favourite shops 'Fluffy Candy Blossom'), silently deliberating where to go first. Normally, if one were to go shopping, you would know, instinctively where you wanted to go, having already been familiar with what you considered your 'style,' but for Mikan (who, by know, had been pushed into changing her one-track mind into a complexity of problems within a few months, thus unknowingly influencing her brain to analyse each and every situation) it was a dilemma.

She knew nothing about clothes, having only briefly eyed the stores as she walked past them, and even less about the different arrays of items available for sale. She didn't even have any preference, having only bought girlish outfits, which she was determined not to get. It was like, to Mikan, trying to solve an algebra question, when you were missing the values. How can you know what to buy when you don't even know what there is to buy?

Biting her lip, Mikan remembered one of the aspiring-designers in her class rant about the importance of accessories, and how personality affected fashion choice. According to her, what people wore reflect, in a way, who they were or who they wanted to be. So, if she followed that rule, she should be able to narrow down, even if it was by 5%, the chance that she would have to go through every single part of every store to find even one outfit.

Or so she hoped.

Closing her eyes, she tried to picture herself walk out of a store, decked out in her new clothes, but found that she could imagine only as far as a black blur, because, simply put, she didn't know much beyond 'skirt, shirt, pants.'

Sighing, Mikan resigned herself to what she expected would be an awfully long day.

Mikan felt like cursing whatever, or whoever, had given her Grandfather the idea that she was going through a 'teenage phase.' Apparently, when she had come home on Saturday, with a whole new wardrobe filled with black, and dark coloured gothic-styled clothes (which was, in the end, the only thing that wouldn't make her look like a codfish) he had immediately feared the worst, and dug up his old parenting books.

Unfortunately, said books were from about 40 years ago, which was rather unfortunate for her, because now, her Grandfather had some crazy delusion that she was stressed with homework, and had fallen into a 'pit of despair' because of Hotaru's absence. So, he had let her take the day off school, and spent two hours talking to her in a slow, antagonizing voice, and then made her go to her room and think about her life.

It was, frankly, rather creepy.

But of course, that was far from the end of it. As soon as she actually sat down to study (because her exams were coming up soon) her Grandfather started to get anxious, because Mikan would lock herself up in her room, for hours on end, pouring over books (and he most definitely wasn't in-tune with the 'New' Mikan Sakura) he drove all the way to the city, just so that he could buy her tickets for one of Reo Maouri's concerts.

She was awfully hesitant to even touch the thing – for the freaky, eager look on her Grandfather's face was giving her goosebumps – but he had insisted, saying that she needed to steam some of the pressure off. Mikan finally accepted it, deciding that it wouldn't do any good to hurt her Grandfather's feelings, especially since he seemed extremely over-protective, lately.

So, there she was. Decked out in a red, Lolita dress, with her brown hair curled up into a simple ponytail (which was fastened with a red rose) her ankle boots (which she had paired up with fingerless gloves and a black choker) clicked on the pavement, as she weaved her way through the bustling city, ignoring the weird looks she was getting from everyone else. Trying not to let her mind stray back to the comparison between the city and the village, she stepped through the threshold of the auditorium, where a large crowd was whispering, excitedly.

She was ushered to her seat, which was right next to a brown haired boy who looked equally as bored as her. Shrugging, Mikan slid into her seat, and turned to the boy, "So, you here against your will too?"

The boy looked up, startled, before nodding, annoyance flashing across his face. He jerked his finger to where a blonde girl was jumping up and down, chatting with some random person, "Yeah. Babysitting my sister. What about you? This doesn't look like your scene either."

"Blackmail," Mikan admitted.

The boy nodded, understandingly. "Well, at least I'm not the only one who'll be bored out of their mind, ne?"

"Yeah, I suppose," she nodded, her attention already drifting off somewhere.

It was only when the lights began to dim, and the figure of Reo appeared behind the curtains, that Mikan noticed it.

It, or rather he was standing in a corner, right near the edge of the stage. Even though the room was dark, Mikan could see his ghostly form move. As the curtains sprung up in a flurry of blue and green, she could see a flash of his face. Dark purple hair and eerie, pupil-less white eyes (1) glowed in the shadows, and she could distinctly see the near faded outline of said eyes.

Glancing to her left, she saw the boy who had spoken to her before, looking at the stage, where a red-haired Reo Mouri had appeared, decked out in a black jacket and torn jeans ensemble. Mikan quickly tuned out his voice, and her attention once again fell to the purple-haired boy, who was scanning the arena through narrowed eyes. Suddenly, a surprised look crossed his face, and his eyes snapped towards Mikan's.

A cold feeling bubbled under her skin, and Mikan winced slightly. Her vision blurred over, and she could almost see the hazy image of the man, staring at her, gobsmacked. Suddenly, everything spun, and she felt a sharp pain spread through her forehead, she squeezed her eyes close, and tried to deflect the throbbing pain that was almost splitting her forehead apart.

Everything was still, and the pain receded. The brunette's eyes flickered open, and she did a double-take. She couldn't see anything normally, anymore. Her whole vision was a mixture of blacks and bright, neon colours. It was almost like seeing a negative of a photo, only it was constantly moving. Feeling slightly unnerved and still disoriented, her gaze fell to the man. She noted, quickly, that unlike all the audience's, his (and the rest of Reo's co-workers) stomach was glowing and something almost stone-like lay in the depths of blackness.

Mikan was panicking, though she tried to not let it show on her face. What was happening to her? One minute she was looking at him, and the next, her whole sight had changed!

This isn't natural! I want it to go away!

But, as soon as she thought it, the odd images flickered off, and everything was back to normal. Mikan blinked, almost as if she didn't believe it. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down. She looked down at her hands, her eyes out of focus. The colours, the weird lights...it had seemed so real. She almost didn't want to believe that she was hallucinating.

This isn't normal! There's something going on here!

Glancing at the boy next to her, who seemed to be oblivious to what had just passed between Mikan and the white-eyed guy, she clenched her fist. Whatever was happening, she wouldn't rush into things blindly, despite her instincts. She would think things through...at home.

Having rushed back to her house, the moment the concert finished, she determined to head straight to her room, so that she could try and figure out what the hell had just happened. But, unfortunately, she was met with her very first obstacle. None other than her very own grandfather, the one person she would be most pleased to avoid.

"So," he said, smiling brightly. Mikan shuddered, having never seen him so happy before. She idly wondered if this was how he acted with his children. If he did, she wouldn't be surprised if they had fled to a boarding school or something. "How was the concert?"

"It was okay," Mikan replied, automatically. She nodded, politely, feeling rather stiff because of the new, bubbly atmosphere in the room. "Can I please go to my room, now?"

"Aren't you even going to entertain your poor old Grandfather with stories of your teenage adventures?" He tried to put on a mock-pout, which only made him, to Mikan, look ten times scarier.

Creeping away, she managed to mumble out, "I'll tell you about it all later, tomorrow. I'm awfully tired you see – you wouldn't want me exhausted, would you? I could pass out, or get a fever or something. I already ate at the city, so...I think it would better if you just...let me rest."

Seeing her grandfather's doubtful and hesitating look, she quickly added, "It's just that, I'm so horribly light-headed, and I feel as though I may collapse! I'm feeling extremely claustrophobic, and being in the same room as people may affect me."

Mikan spoke, making her voice as feeble as possible, "You...you don't want me to fall into a coma, do you?" Her grandfather relented immediately, and ushered her to bed, his personality taking a complete 180.

This was the day Mikan Sakura learned the concept of acting.

It took her at least a dozen tries to do 'it' again. She'd tried meditating, clearing her mind, focussing on a single object, even trying to imitate her actions from before, but none of it worked. Finally, completely frustrated, she threw her hands up in the air, losing her calm demeanour. "I just don't get it! Was I really just imagining it? Why won't it just work?"

Then it happened. It was a flicker, the feeling you get when you switch off the lights. It didn't hurt – not like before – but it was more like, something clicked in her brain. As if it was a panel of buttons, and she was merely turning it from one mode to the next. Within a second, her vision flashed, and everything was back to the negative-view.

Though the transaction was mostly fluid, she could feel...whatever it was, pushing against a sort of barrier, though it most definitely wasn't as painful as the concert incident. Wincing, almost instinctually, she took a deep breath, and scanned her surroundings.

It was weird, really. Now that she actually knew what was going to happen, Mikan wasn't all that worried. As soon as she gulped down the lump in her throat, she scanned her room, thoughtfully. So...this...power gave her the ability to see things in a different light?

"No, there's got to be more to it than just that," Mikan chewed on her lower lip, try to push down the aggravation that was threatening to spark up again. She concentrated on the wall, and tried to somehow, unthread the secrets of this power. Then something flashed. It was just a quick image, but once the dark eyed girl focused on it (which took her ten minutes or so, because each time, she had to stop herself so that she didn't tear her brain muscles from the overwhelming stress) she found herself looking straight through said wall, and out into her garden.

Feeling her head throbbing, and finally relented (she figured, the more she used it later, the easier it would be to access it) and cut off the energy she was pouring into it. She flopped down onto her bed, and bit her lip. She hadn't really realised how much she had put into it. She was absolutely exhausted. Her arms were aching, even though she had barely used them, and she could feel a horrible migraine creeping onto her.

Forcing herself to divert her thoughts from her tired body, she mulled over the unusual discovery she had made. Mikan found it odd that she had taken to the idea without a second thought, whereas a normal person would be freaking out, but she supposed, that in a way, she had always known there was something different about her and for some reason, she just couldn't find it within herself to be the slightest bit scared.

It was almost like she was too comfortable with it.

Rolling over so that she was draped across her pink bed (which she had, unfortunately, had to put up with) she sighed, her eyes still an eerie white. By now, she had already deduced that it was her will that worked the 'switch' (It wasn't that hard to figure it out; after all, it was only after she forced the 'Sight' to act up, that it did. The same went for the X-Ray vision thing, she had reasoned.) As she lay then in silence, her eye twitched slightly, as she felt the energy being drained out of her.

After turning 'off' her new power – which she had dubbed Meomu, Mikan felt some of her strength return to her. Hugging her knees to her chest, the brunette, finally let a small smile grace her rosy lips, and her eyes flickered close, as she relished in what she was positive would be a wonderful, Hotaru-free beginning.

It was unfortunate for her, really, that in a few days she would be shipped off to the exact place she dreaded going to.

Gakuen Alice.

And here, my readers, is where the real story begins.

(1) Think Byakugan, minus the bulging veins and 360° vision.

Supplementary Information

Copy: This is the only original Alice Mikan has discovered so far. It is ideal for casual day use, and can be distracting if used in combat. Though it lets you copy your opponent's Alice, in a way that doesn't alert him/her, it causes a slight amount of pain for the 'Copier.' If the Alice is extremely concentrated (like an Eye/Voice Alice) all the pressure will go to that area. So, theoretically, the more spread-out Alices are better for copying.

But, as well as this, it causes disorientation for the person, and in battle, even seconds are vital. The Copier can't go crazy 'collecting' Alices either, because when you do, you are essentially adding millions of Alice Stones at the same time to your own (without letting it adapt), which isn't a good idea. If you do so, you would either collapse from extreme strain to your body or fall into coma, and those are the lower key responses.

When you add an Alice, at first, it will take several tries to actually make it work, because as it isn't your own power, it isn't fluid. But, you will never truly be able to master any of the Alices you copy, simply because it is a shadow of its true power. Say, for example, you had an Ice Alice, which was so potent; it lets you freeze several (let's say, 3, maximum) mountains at once. If you copied this Alice, and worked on perfecting it tirelessly, for many years on end, you would be able to freeze, approximately a large hill or a small mountain. If you were pushing all your limits, you'd be able to freeze one and a half. Basically, it cuts its potential in half, and increases the difficulty/energy levels by a three-fold.

But, nonetheless, the 'Copy' Alice is extremely useful, if you are able to use it cleverly enough.

Sight/Meomumasu: The first copied Alice in Mikan's 'collection.' Not much is known about the limits for the original Alice, and as Mikan doesn't know exactly what it does, and how well, she is going out on a limb. Though it could possibly be expanded (limit-wise) so far, the 'Sight' as Mikan knows it, possesses two features. One is a negative view of everything, which lets you see a faint outline of someone's aura/Alice Stone (we can assume that the original gives a clearer image) and the other is a slight X-Ray ability, which the copied version is limited to 5km, on every angle. The original name isn't known, but Mikan calls it, either the Sight, or Meomumasu, (which, if you split it up – "Me o mumasu" – roughly means 'Seeing Eyes') Meomu for short.

- L.D.